Adi and I are not cosplayers and we want to be upfront about that. We are two people who will absolutely show up, coffee in hand, watching thousands of people in incredible costumes march through the streets of Calgary with our mouths wide open and we cannot wait.

The POW! Parade of Wonders is back for Calgary Expo 2026, and this year it’s got a brand new expanded route that takes things right through Victoria Park and along 17th Ave before landing at the BMO Centre at Stampede Park. It’s free. It’s open to everyone and based on everything we’ve experienced from past years, it’s an absolute spectacle.

You don’t need to know a single thing about comics or cosplay to have the best time. You just have to show up.

Walk in it or watch, both are great options

If you’ve got a costume and you’ve been waiting for a reason to wear it, this is your moment. Anyone can register to walk in the parade, all you need is a full cosplay. The registration link is on the Calgary Expo website and it costs nothing to participate.

If the costume situation isn’t for you, spectating is genuinely just as fun. The new route through Victoria Park and 17th Ave means there are so many good spots to plant yourself, grab a coffee from one of the cafes along the way, and watch the whole thing unfold. There are Fan Zones along the route where the energy between paraders and spectators gets especially good, those are worth positioning yourself near.

Accessible seating and viewing areas are available along the route, which is worth knowing if you’re bringing anyone who needs that.

Calgary Expo runs all weekend

The parade is the kickoff to Calgary Expo, which runs April 23–26 at the BMO Centre at Stampede Park. If you’re thinking about making a full weekend of it — comics, gaming, sci-fi, anime, special guests, the works — the Expo floor is worth a look too. We’ll be sharing more on that as the weekend gets closer.

But even if you’re not buying an Expo ticket, the parade itself is completely free and genuinely one of the more memorable things you can do in Calgary on a Friday morning in April. The kind of thing where you go planning to stay for 30 minutes and end up staying for the whole thing.

A few things to know before you go

Practical tips

• Parade kicks off at 10:30 AM from Central Memorial Park: get there early if you want a good spot along the route
• The route ends at the BMO Centre Grand Staircase where the official Opening Ceremony takes place at 11:15 AM
• Victoria Park has great cafes along 1st St SW and 12th Ave SW: a breakfast stop before the parade is a very good idea
• Want to walk? Register on the Calgary Expo website: it’s free and open to all ages
• Stampede Park has parking, and the Erlton/Stampede LRT station puts you right at the finish line

We’ll be there on the 24th soaking it all in, follow along on our stories so you can see the whole thing play out in real time and if you’re going, let us know. We love knowing our Wanderers are out there doing the thing.

Because we believe we are all made to wander, even if it’s just down 17th Ave in a crowd of a thousand Stormtroopers. ✨